Six SFI activists arrested for heckling Mamata

New Delhi, April 22: Six activists of the SFI were arrested Monday for heckling West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and state Finance Minister Amit Mitra here on April 9, a Delhi Police officer said.

The arrested activists include a general secretary of the Students Federation of India, the students’ wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

“The SFI’s general secretary, Rita Brathogosh Banerjee, two women activists Anju Jha and Asha Sharma, besides Suman, Nathu Prasad and B.S. Aggarwal were arrested in connection with the case,” said an officer.

They were booked under the sections of rioting, obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions, assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, and voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty, the police officer said.

Police said the arrested were presented in a court, and were granted bail in the evening.

Banerjee and Amit Mitra were allegedly heckled April 9 by a group SFI activists, when the chief minister and her finance minister went to the Planning Commission office in New Delhi to finalise the state plan.

Following the incident, Banerjee made a hasty return to Kolkata, cancelling her meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

She later said, “Delhi is not safe”. On her return to Kolkata, Banerjee complained of sickness and was hospitalised.